Cheryl K. Chumley

Syrian boy, 11, in Aleppo: When I grow up, I want to kill Bashar Assad

An 11-year-old, AK-47-toting Aleppo boy said his grown-up wish is to kill Syrian President Bashar Assad.

September 2, 2013

‘Duck Dynasty’ star Uncle Si dishes on faith in Christ in new book

Uncle Si, as Silas Merritt Robertson is known to "Duck Dynasty" watchers, has a new book coming out Tuesday, and it promises more of the same of what makes the A&E hit one of the most-watched reality shows in television history: family-friendly tales that highlight the power and grace of Jesus Christ.

September 2, 2013

Appeals court rules White House visitor logs can stay private

A federal appeals court has ruled that the Secret Service does not have to release visitor logs for President Obama and top White House advisers and that the Freedom of Information Act does not cover these documents.

September 2, 2013

Pope Francis to flock: Gossiping is as bad as murder

Pope Francis told his Catholic Church faithful in a Monday mass that they ought to control their tongues and stop gossiping – it’s very nearly akin to murder.

September 2, 2013

Chinese student gypped $4,420 for $300 Chicago taxi ride

Police in Chicago are trying to identify and bring to justice the cab driver who allegedly ripped off thousands of dollars from a student from China who was trying to travel from O’Hare International Airport to his University of Illinois campus.

September 2, 2013

Mass. atheists get day in court for Pledge of Allegiance as nation holds breath

This week, the highest court in Massachusetts will hear the argument of an atheist couple who think the Pledge of Allegiance — especially with its mention of "under God" — violates students' rights, and court experts say the outcome will reverberate around the nation.

September 2, 2013

NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s anti-gun group rally falls flat, as NRA takes over

A recent rally staged by members of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's gun-control group fell flat, as nearly 10 times the number of Second Amendment supporters showed up, took over the scene and countered with such a voice that bystanders thought it was actually an NRA-sponsored event.

September 2, 2013

CIA finds 1 in 5 flagged job applicants come from Hamas, Hezbollah, al Qaeda

An estimated one-fifth of a subset of all applicants for Central Intelligence Agency positions had significant ties to the terror groups Hamas, Hezbollah and al Qaeda, a newly released document from NSA leaker Edward Snowden's collection revealed Monday.

September 2, 2013

Dick Cheney’s daughters dispute over gay marriage

Mary Cheney, the daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, isn't pulling any punches when it comes to weighing in on her Senate-hopeful sister Liz's objection to gay marriage, calling her view 100 percent wrong in a blunt Facebook posting picked up by various media.

September 2, 2013

Syrian minister calls for preemptive strike on America

As the White House dithers on how to respond to the chemical weapons attack unleashed by President Bashar Assad on rebel forces outside Damascus, and delays decision on U.S. military force, some in Syria have struck a more decisive tone: Let’s take preemptive action.

September 2, 2013

Justice Anthony Kennedy’s legacy: Friend of the gay cause

Justice Anthony Kennedy will likely go down in history as the biggest judicial friend the gay-rights movement has ever known, court watchers say.

September 2, 2013

Nelson Mandela not dead: Aide for elder Bush apologizes for saying so

Contrary to what one aide for former President George H.W. Bush put out in a statement on Sunday, the South African leader Nelson Mandela is not dead. He's gone home from the hospital, recovering from a lengthy stay.

September 2, 2013

Egypt’s Mohammed Morsi to face trial for inciting violence

A top prosecutor referred ousted President Mohammed Morsi to face a court trial for inciting violence and standing idly by as his government forces killed protesters outside his office while he sat as Egypt's president.

September 2, 2013

China to U.S.: Don’t go into Syria with force

China weighed in Monday on the possibility of the United States taking military action in Syria with this quick message: Don’t.

September 2, 2013

U.S. drug agents grab more data than NSA; ‘profound privacy concerns,’ ACLU says

When it comes to subpoenaing telephone records, U.S. drug agents may take the trophy from the National Security Agency.

September 2, 2013

Taliban militants attack U.S. base in Afghanistan; 3 dead

Taliban militants on Monday attacked a U.S. military base in Afghanistan that’s located near the Pakistan border, setting off bombs and torching vehicles.

September 2, 2013

Tooth Fairy pay-outs on the rise, as inflation meets poor parenting

So much for the days of a dollar a tooth — or a quarter. Inflation has driven the costs of a Tooth Fairy visit sky-high, and kids nowadays are bragging on the playground about night-time exchanges that leaves them $5 richer.

August 30, 2013

Bashar Assad’s son, 11, taunts U.S. on Facebook: report

A Facebook posting purportedly from Syrian President Bashar Assad’s son, age 11, takes pot-shots at America, taunting the White House to strike.

August 30, 2013

Conjoined twins, 6 weeks old, separated with success

Six-week-old twin boys who were conjoined at birth were successfully separated, and doctors said both are doing well, making full progress toward recovery.

August 30, 2013

North Korea withdraws invite for U.S. envoy

North Korea changed its mind Friday and pulled back an invitation for a U.S. diplomat to visit and discuss the plight and possible release of a Washington man imprisoned, sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.

August 30, 2013